『 Flourish 』
by Meyri
Summary: Umber Brown is the personal butler of perhaps the most sheltered young lady in Atlas: Weiss Schnee. On her seventh birthday, she is allowed outside of the Schnee Estate for the first time, and the different life stories start to influence each other. The servant tries to teach the heiress about outside world, but under her guidance, he rediscovers his own world instead.


**Hello there friends.** This is a work of collaboration between me and Not A Bagel, with guest contributions by SeKrayZed, LovelyBeats and verb833. Thanks for everyone that helped make this happen - you people are the best. I compiled the content, rewrote and extended it to give it proper closure.

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><p><strong>『 <strong>**Flourish 』**

**Chapter 1: Unforgettable**

Umber Brown waited patiently in one of the spots where the sunlight broke through the leaves. The butler smiled when he heard his protegé. The young lady's laughter announced her arrival before he spotted her running between the ancient oak trees. Weiss looked more excited than she had ever been. After all, this was the first time the little girl was allowed to leave the Schnee mansion.

The heiress' personal butler was an aged man, dressed in a neat black suit, accentuated with vest, belt and shoes in a brown with a reddish hue. His hair used to be of the same color, but has already started turning gray. He has known Weiss Schnee for all of her life and was one of her few friends in the spacious manor. She was the more introverted one between the two Schnee siblings and never really came close to most of the other staff in the Schnee estate.

With the young heiress running towards him, he bowed graciously, folding his hands behind his back. A small chuckle escaped him when Weiss tripped and fell face first into the snow. She stood up and dusted herself off, never breaking off her melodious laughter. Brown raised an eyebrow. Any other day, and the white-haired girl would've been lamenting the damage to her clothes instead.

"Are you sure you're ready, Miss Schnee?", he asked.

"Of course I am! I'm not a _child_ anymore!", came the indignant reply.

"I am sure you could handle everything out there, now that it is your seventh birthday."

Weiss turned on her heels and stepped towards the main entrance with big strides, eager to watch the big metal gates open for the first time in her life. Ever since Lady Schnee passed away, Director Schnee has always been very protective of his two snow angels. Convincing him to let Weiss see the world outside the mansion took Brown hours of negotiation and pleading, and a considerable cut in his pay. Now that the butler saw the happiness in her face, he was convinced that this was well worth the effort.

A single message popped up on his scroll, breaking off his train of thought. He raised his left arm, eyes widening as he skimmed the message.

"Change of plans. Preparations for party not done yet. Distract her. - S."

A wave of confusion, anger and panic washed over Brown, but never made it past his perpetually polite smile. He was a professional, after all. The steward hastily put away his scroll and approached the bundle of joy that was Weiss. The little girl was jumping in anticipation, watching the gate slide open slowly.

Just when she was about to sprint to the car, Brown spoke up. "Wait up, young lady. I have a surprise for you!"

"It can wait. I have to get to the party!" The young girl responded, impatiently tapping her foot.

"But surely you would like an early present?" Brown countered.

She crossed her arms and flipped her chin as far up as it would go in a feeble attempt to look down her nose at this presumptuous butler.

"There'll be plenty of presents at the party." She replied haughtily. "Time, however, is one thing I do not have in abundance. Now let's go!"

Her ponytail cracked like a whip as she spun in the direction of the limousine. She marched off triumphantly, leaving behind a dumbfounded Brown.

_For an eight year old, she's awfully well spoken. _Brown let out a deep sigh, the universal sign of defeat.

"Time for Plan B", he muttered...

The butler cleared his throat and brushed through his hair one last time.

He screamed.

And fell down dead.

Weiss turned around in shock and screamed even louder. The high-pitched screech rang in his ears, but Brown refused to move. A few flustered ravens took flight from the nearby trees. _A shame that she didn't see my dramatic spin._

"Mister Brown! Are you alright?"

Adorable. In the face of Weiss naiveté, her servant struggled to contain his laughter. Tricking her like this was a lot of fun, even at the cost of sullying his black suit.

"M-miss... Weiss..." he croaked, faked pain in his voice.

"Mister Brown, please let me help!" She begged, squeezing his hand with her own.

"Run to your room, quickly." He coughed and wheezed, clutching his heart in pain. He knew he wasn't a very good actor, but made an earnest effort nevertheless.

"Find Doctor Stuffinbum. There is a spell under his paw that can save me... I don't have much time left..." His voice faded to a limp whisper.

Weiss shook her head, a horrified look on her face, and began sprinting away from him.

Brown followed her movement, satisfied with his streak of genius. _It might have been childish, but it worked__._ He sat up once the coast was clear and looked at his scroll. His spontaneous act had bought him approximately 10 minutes until Weiss returned with her plush animal in her hands. He had to sort out whatever problem there was as fast as he could.

"Hello Miss Sterling?"

"Brown?"

The familiar voice of the Schnee mansion's head maid answered the phone. Rose Sterling was a kind person behind a strict demeanor, ruling over the enormous household with impeccable efficiency. Her voice was a frustrated one, spitting out his name with an angry snap. Something unusual must have interfered with her meticulous planning again.

"Yes, It's me, Brown. I saw your message. What's holding you up at the party?"

"Director Schnee made some... let's say... rather complicated last minute adjustments, and some of the more... extravagant requests have not been met yet. Just between us, I still don't see why we need a giant ice statue of Weiss. Well, you're going to have to entertain her for, let's see, another hour."

Brown frowned. They both knew that the young heiress can be very difficult to handle at times, and the prospect of having her party delayed by a full hour was not going to please her.

"Well then, I'll see what I can do. Could you do me a favour and call me back in a few minutes... I need to make this game a little more... engrossing."

"What do you-"

Brown hung up with a smirk. _If you want me to do extra work, I'm going to have you do this with me, Miss Sterling._ During his extensive career working for the Schnee family, Weiss' personal butler has built up a friendly rivalry of sorts with the head maid. They have always been working closely, racing to climb through the ranks in the household, until they made it to the most coveted positions in the manor: Head Maid and Personal Butler.

The butler smiled at the scenes that presented themselves in his head. _They've gone a long way together, after all._ He put away his scroll and once again assumed a comfortable position on the ground, closing his eyes, relaxing his limbs.

"Brown! I'm here, it's alright!"

A few moments later, he heard Weiss' hurried footsteps. The butler was sure that Weiss was starting to cry, but he did not dare open his eyes.

"D-don't cry, L-lady..." The silent whisper smoothly transitioned into a slow exhalation, his last breath.

"No!" The little girl's voice was barely audible beneath the ragged breathing and the light sobs. "D-don't leave me, Teddy..."

His eye twitched at the mention of his nickname. _Sure, I'll admit that I'm not in top form, but I'm not that fat yet._ Brown considered himself a calm and composed person, and thus the strangely endearing name irritated the tall suited man. When Weiss first used it, she immediately fell in love with the Brown's flustered expression. He had never considered himself a particularly _fluffy_ or _cuddly_ person.

Brown felt a fluffy sensation on his face. Weiss had pressed Doctor Stuffinbum into him nearly suffocating him. When she failed to notice any reaction from the lifeless body, the little girl broke down crying, hugging her butler.

Then, his scroll began to vibrate. _Showtime._

Brown cupped her cheek in his hand with a sad smile on his face...

"I ask that you do me this one favor... find my killer, bring her to justice," he croaked.

"I swear, just please, d-don't leave me..." Hot tears dropped onto his face. He opened his eyes slightly, sneaking a peek at the crying mess.

Suddenly, Weiss heard an evil laugh. The diabolic cackle completely caught her by surprise.

"It's too late now, young lady! The poison has already worked it's way to his heart!"

The dying man had to begrudgingly admit that Sterling was a much better actor than him. He flicked his finger and a bigger screen appeared, floating above their heads. Weiss stared at the hooded figure in disbelief.

"Why did you do that to Teddy, Serry?"

The incapacitated butler nearly burst out laughing. The genuine angerat the head maid's betrayal was pure gold. And what's more, Sterling hated that nickname, even more than he disliked being called Teddy. When Weiss was young, she couldn't pronounce Sterling, so it came out as Serling most of the time, and over the years, it evolved into Serry.

_It's time._

He slowly sat back up, groaning and stretching. Weiss blankly stared at him for a moment and then broke out into a gleeful cheer.

"Ha, take that! Doctor Stuffinbum can cure anything!"

Weiss squealed in delight, hugging Brown once again.

Sterling hissed and recoiled as if burned. "No! This cannot be!"

_And here I thought I was overacting. _"Take that! You have been defeated, evil witch!" He exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

The vein in her head twitched in genuine anger. _I'm going to pay for that one later, but there is no time for regrets now._

"Nobody can defeat a pure-hearted Schnee!" he declared proudly.

Weiss put her hands on her hips beaming in pride.

"I have emerged victorious, witch! Now that we have resolved this," Weiss said, "it's time to go to the party."

"This is not the last you've seen of me!" Sterling spat out the sentence, every word dripping with malice.

Even after Brown minimized his scroll's display, Sterling didn't break her stare, sending a very clear message. _Keep the lady busy for one hour, or else._ The maid kept the call going and he didn't dare end the call by himself. Rose Sterling could be very scary if she wanted to, and he wanted to avoid reliving that lesson.

The monitoring maid made the steward feel very uncomfortable in his skin, but he did his best to keep that from showing on his face. He went down on one knee, looking the silvery eyes of the heiress.

"Young lady, how about we go to the toy store instead?"

Weiss huffed. "Why can't we just go to my party?"

"Weiss, don't you think that Mi-, uh, the witch has some traps laid out there at the party? We have to prepare ourselves, no?"

Right on cue, Brown and Weiss heard Sterling's voice from his scroll.

"Go while you can, silly mortals! I concede this time, but don't think you have won just yet..." The maid let her voice fade, shutting down the connection in the process.

"So, how about that toy store, young lady?"

Weiss absently looked past him. Seeing the heiress deep in thought, Brown continued hastily.

"The party is not going anywhere. This is your chance to do whatever you want in the city."

The little girl looked up with gleaming eyes. "Only if Serry comes too!"

This time, it was Brown's turn to be left speechless. The heiress smugly grinned at the sight of Brown's blank stare.

"You silly servants cannot deceive me. I have seen through your pathetic act!"

"B-but how-"

"Everyone knows evil witches never admit defeat!"

Brown burst out laughing. During his extensive career, he has been trained to keep his emotions to himself, no matter what kind of eccentricity his employer subjected him to. Weiss Schnee was one of the few people that could legitimately make him laugh out loud.

"Truly, your insight is unmatched, Miss Schnee. Let me call Miss Sterling while you get in the car."

The little girl happily obliged, skipping and hopping over to the white limousine. Brown shook his head, dialing his colleague's number.

"You dare rouse me from my slumber, foolish mortals?"

The butler chuckled lightly. "You can drop the act, she already found out."

"What's the matter then?"

"Good and bad news. She's agreed to go somewhere else, but you have to come too."

Sterling paused at the prospects of her plans being interrupted again.

She dismissed the informal speech in favor of a curt, polite tone. "Sadly, I have no time for such silly endeavours, Mister Brown."

"I am afraid the young lady can be very persuasive, Miss Sterling."

"Don't drag her into this."

"You two, stop dilly dallying - my quest awaits!" Weiss sang, sticking her head out of the window as far as she could.

"Hear that? You wouldn't want to ruin her mood, would you?"

The butler could see the annoyance behind Sterling's polite smile. She sighed and rubbed her temple.

"So who's going to supervise the party preparations if I'm coming?"

"Just let that intern girl do it. If it's just receiving deliveries and telling people to set things up, nobody can mess that up."

"Copper is the last person I'd want to entrust this to, but it seems like I have no choice."

The valet chuckled. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Sterling. I'll see you at the toy shop near the Diamond Plaza."

Brown deactivated his scroll before Sterling could reply. The head maid was a very organized person and became very flustered when something deviated from her plans. _The toy store... just like in the old times..._

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><p>The drive into the city was very uneventful, save for Weiss singing gleefully from the backseat. Her good mood was infectious and Brown soon found himself humming to the tune of her voice. The butler opted for a few detours, showing Weiss what Atlas truly looked like, sights she had been missing out on for so long. After so much time spent singing and sightseeing, they found a very bored maid leaning on a silver car with pink highlights.<p>

Rose Sterling was a middle-aged woman with a stern eyes, framed by thin glasses and silvery hair in a neat updo. Her hand-made, black and white maid uniform stood out from the other maids through the silver-pink strips running down her sides. Her short skirt was covered by a small apron and another silver-pink strip. She would have preferred a longer skirt, but that particular detail was Director Schnee's only request when she designed the new maid uniforms. Her normally gentle face was stressed. Brown did not dare tap on the notification on his scroll that informed him of 22 missed messages.

"We have reached our destination, little Miss Schnee. Here we are at the Diamond Plaza."

Brown halted the car, and before he could open the door for her, Weiss stormed outside, running towards the imposing fountain in the middle of the plaza. She dipped her hands in the clear water, spraying it around her. With rainbows following on her heels, the ecstatic girl spun around, taking in the marvelling sight of the brightly glowing stores all around her.

Sterling stepped up beside Brown, her tedious wait all but forgotten. "Look at her go."

"She's been sitting in the car for far too long."

"What took you so long anyways?"

"I took her around town. She's never really seen Atlas after all."

The maid pondered his words before nodding in approval. "I suppose... I did tell you to distract her. Shall we go inside, then?"

Not responding, he directed his gaze towards where Sterling was pointing. Brown froze up.

"Whoa."

The butler came from a poor family, and had only seen the store from the outside, even when it was still a small, old-fashioned shop on the corner of the street, selling hand-made wooden toys. Time slowed down when he saw an excited white-haired girl run towards the store. Echoes of the past caught up to him. He remembered the moment where he found his first job as a dishwasher in the Noble's District, when he was first scolded by the young, silver-haired maid that was responsible for serving drinks. The fond memories of meeting up with the girl on the plaza, of being shooed away by the grumpy store owner whenever they came to play in the store in their ragged clothes, never able to afford anything.

Even though today's store was lit up in bright colors, a pulsating paradise for kids, Brown had to concentrate to shake the nostalgic vision of the dimly lit establishment. A glowing sign above the entrance showed rather pompous words: "Tukson's Emporium of Wonders - Home to Every Toy Under the Sun". With Tukson being the new owner, the shop has undergone significant changes. Shiny new toys running on electricity or Dust replaced the wooden figures Brown once knew.

"It's different," Sterling whispered, "isn't it? When I arrived, I've been here for a while too, but I couldn't stand staring at the neon lights."

The butler felt her tug at his hand, pulling him towards the entrance with a bright and earnest smile, a sight he hasn't seen in a long time.

"What are you waiting for? Weiss is waiting!"

Brown followed Sterling and Weiss through the ornate wooden door, entering a completely new world. The girls' laughter resonated with the bell above the door, but the servant restrained himself. He put up his usual polite smile, folding his hands behind his back, trying to hold his composure. Despite his best efforts, he could not help but be impressed by the seemingly endless rows of toys stacked neatly onto shelves.

Sterling crouched down by the side of the little girl and held her by the shoulders, preventing the heiress from running wild in the shop.

"Calm, down, little Miss." She touched Weiss' nose and smiled gently. "This is going to be just between us, so don't tell your father. We are going to get you two presents. There's a big selection, so what would you like?"

Weiss snapped out of her toy-induced trance and assumed her usual, elegant pose.

"It's not a present if you don't pick it out yourselves, is it? How silly of you dolts."

Sterling looked up at Brown, then back at Weiss. Both servants were completely stumped, unsure of what to do. They haven't played with toys for a long time, and the only other toy they have ever seen Weiss with was Doctor Stuffinbum.

Despite the precarious situation, both Sterling and Brown smiled at each other. It was the spark that reignited old habits. Faced with a complicated task, the competitive nature of them both resurfaced. They felt like they could read each others' thoughts.

_"You've got NOTHING on me, Brown."_

_"You are SO going down, Sterling."_

Brown cleared his throat, ending the mental clash prematurely.

"Little Miss, why don't you go with Sterling and I'll go get my present. That way you girls can go look at some dolls, while I-"

"Go look at boring action figures?" The maid finished his sentence and chuckled.

Weiss beamed and dragged off Sterling.

"I am so screwed." Brown muttered. He immediately regretted his decision to let Weiss go with Sterling.

Brown quickly strode through the aisles filled with playthings. The variety of toys was astounding, but nothing that he looked at stood out. Yo ung boys and their parents pushed their way past him, excited about the newest innovations in entertainment.

His fingers brushed past blinking and moving robots, remote controlled cars and colorful board games. Weiss would have a lot of fun with all these for a few weeks, but after that...

Usually, the servants were not allowed to take part in birthday celebrations, except for the lucky few that were allowed to serve food and drink to the esteemed guests. He knew that his first ever present to the young heiress had to be something special. He circled around the boys' section once again, trying to find something unusual. All of these new and fancy toys were soulless, simple distractions hidden behind bright colors and machinery, replaced by the newest model every month. Brown sighed and walked past the many hallways, sliding his hands on the smooth surface of the brand new shelves in an attempt to find some hidden gem.

Suddenly, a powerful feeling of nostalgia welled up inside the butler. His fingertips pressed down on the rough surface of rough, unpolished wood. When the store expanded, they never bothered to replace the older shelves with new ones. Brown was now truly inside the toy shop he had known in his childhood, and he was not about to let go. His pace quickened as he found his way faster and faster in a shop he had never set his foot inside. The shouts and footsteps of children quieted down. Brown found himself to be the only customer in the darker corner of the store, where the older models were stored. As he moved along the rows of obsolete toys, they underwent a strange evolution, from blinking and moving parts towards solid forms, simpler designs.

Brown turned around one last corner and knew that he had found his destination. The owner's rocking chair in the corner, dusty shelves and a workbench with sharp tools. It was the same sight he had witnessed years ago, pressing his face against the big glass window next to the door. The same old handmade wooden toys.

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><p>Meeting up with Sterling and Weiss outside of the store was a nerve-racking experience for Brown. He cursed the moment he decided to take a gamble with his present. Both the butler and the maid were crouching and holding their gifts behind the back, with Weiss standing between them. Brown took a deep breath.<p>

"Are you nervous, Mister Brown?" Sterling looked at him with an innocent smile. "Let me begin then."

Weiss turned around, hands propped up on her waist. Her serious look on her face would have been normal at any other time, but today, she had been all smiles. Miss Sterling didn't let that distract her.

"I've got you this. It reminds me of Mister Brown. He tries to look intimidating, all dressed in black, but he's just a chubby little Teddy."

Sterling smiled deviously, holding up a comically stuffed Ursa. The word _Teddy_ was sewn onto its belly, and there was a little crown perked on top of its head. _Whatever you want to say about Sterling, she certainly works fast._ Once, she'd asked Brown to find her sewing kit inside of her purse. Since then, the butler had a slight fear of drowning and open spaces.

The young heiress remained cold, not uttering a single syllable. If that had disturbed Sterling, she was very good at hiding it. Brown shook his head and stopped staring at the maid, concentrating on the matter at hand.

"I'm not that fat... yet. Anyways. I have this. I call it _Serry._"

Brown grinned and procured a small wooden rapier from behind his back. "Touch it the wrong way and you'll hurt yourself," he snickered.

He coughed as Weiss remained silent. He awkwardly continued his exposition, hoping for a response. "A fitting weapon, for the bravest little girl I know."

When he saw the wooden toys, he felt magically attracted to the object he always wanted the most: A simple wooden sword. Every kid wanted to be a Huntsman at some point. As he reached out, he changed his mind and chose the rapier, deeming it more appropriate. He put a lot of thoughts into this, and the lack of a response was tearing at him.

The butler looked up to Sterling, puzzled. The young girl was trembling as she looked at the presents.

_Maybe I shouldn't have gotten-_

Weiss pulled the two into a hug.

"Thank you."

Brown closed his arms around Weiss and Sterling, warm teardrops pressing up against his cheek.

"Thank you so much."

The three shared a magical moment, one that he wished would never end. For the butler, it felt like an eternity had passed when Weiss released the two from her hug.

Weiss took off the crown from Teddy's head and put it on her own, complimenting her bright smile. She swung the rapier around herself, forcing the servants to back off a few steps.

Brown asked as casually as possible. "Well, Miss Schnee, who won the gift competition?"

The young lady contemplated only briefly. "Me, obviously. I have two presents and you both have none!"

She started laughing freely, a melodious sound that drowned out the sounds inside the store and on the street.

Brown and Sterling didn't wait before joining in her laughter. _It's amazing just how happy Weiss can be with just a little love._

"Happy Birthday, Miss Schnee," Sterling said, still holding her sides.

"That's Weiss to you!" the girl turned up her nose still giggling.

_How can she be pompous about being informal?_ Brown went back to his polite smile and folded his hands in their familiar position behind his back.

"Happy Birthday, Weiss. Let's go to the party now, okay?"

"I want to go to the zoo next!"

"Listen to Mister Brown. Your family is probably missing you already."

"You two are my family too."

Brown and Sterling looked up at each other, a genuine smile replacing their perpetually polite half-smile. Thinking of Weiss and Sterling as family was a thought that had never crossed his mind, but he started to like it already.

Sterling threw her hands in the air. "Well, the party is going to last all day, I suppose. A bit of fun won't hurt."

Brown shrugged. "It is _her_ birthday, after all."

Weiss shouted in excitement and hopped off towards the car, rapier and Ursa in her hands.

"She's amazing isn't she?" Sterling spoke without thinking, slowly following the heiress to the car.

"You said that out loud." Brown paused at the sight of Sterling blush. "You're not wrong, though."

Brown started the car and the engine's low hum resounded within the limousine. Weiss leaned forward, sticking her head between Brown and Sterling.

"Thank you again. This is the most fun I've ever had."

Sterling locked her eyes with Brown's and chuckled. "The party hasn't even started yet."

Weiss chuckled and reclined on the backseat.

"It's not the things you do, but the people you do it with, that makes a day unforgettable."

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><p><strong>Hi there friends.<strong> First of all, thanks for reading the entirety of this. This was longer than the usual chapters I write, but well worth it. This is my first attempt at a fluffy story, that also features my first attempt at Original Characters. Leave a review, tell me what you liked or disliked, as that would help me out a lot.

I originally intended this to be a short One-shot in between finishing the Delivery fic and writing new stories, but while writing this, I found out that I love this kind of stuff. If I find the time, this may be continued with two more chapters. I'd love to develop one of my favorite characters in the series more, as we never find out a lot about Weiss' childhood in the series. Also, the BrownxSterling pairing may happen at some point down the line.


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